Cannibalistic iPad devours up to 50 percent of notebook sales

by Steven Mostyn - Sep 17 2010, 17:37

We’re all well aware of the iPad’s impressive sales momentum – not least because it sold more than three million units within three months of launch – but, while consumers continue to flock before Apple’s tablet, electronics retailers are starting to feel the after effects.

Specifically, Best Buy chief executive officer Brian Dunn has suggested that internal estimates indicate the iPad is responsible for cannibalising conventional notebook computer sales by up to a whopping 50 percent.

“People are willing to disproportionately spend for these devices because they are becoming so important to their lives,” Dunn commented during an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

That being said, Best Buy clearly sees the moneymaking potential associated with embracing the iPad, which is probably why it will begin selling Apple’s touch-screen tablet in all of its 1,093 stores across the U.S. from September 26.

Dunn also said the iPad has contributed to a slowdown in sales of high-definition televisions, with customers preferring to hold on to their existing sets in favour of splashing disposable income on glamorous devices such as the iPad and the Amazon Kindle eReader.

Weighing in on the issue, tech magazine Wired contends that, once FaceTime and a video-capable version of Skype arrive on the iPad, the only consumers left contemplating the purchase of a notebook computer will be those who require increased processing performance.

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